


Ominous

by seraphichan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canonical Character Death, Gen, ish?, its actually sorta sweet and mostly sad, not as foreboding as the title makes it seem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 08:08:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10239839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphichan/pseuds/seraphichan
Summary: There was a vase on the kitchen table that he wasn’t allowed to touch. He had tried putting in the cupboard but it always ended up back on the table. He had tried filling it once, too, but the flowers were moved to a different vase the next time he looked. Levi’s housemate insisted on keeping it empty. The only time it wasn’t empty was when he first moved in - there were some wilted flowers in it, gladiolas if he remembered correctly.The same flower Eren had with him now.





	

Levi’s first clue should have been how cheap the listing on the house was. His next should have been how jumpy the realtor was as he showed Levi around the premises. The final one should have been the story he found online - he had to know why no one had bought it yet, it was in nice condition considering it was basically abandoned, and the fact that the front door lock was busted - about the woman that was murdered there nearly eleven years ago.

Oh. So the house was haunted.

Or that’s what people said anyway. But even if it was, so what? What was going to happen? Was it going to try and kill him or something? He’d had people trying to kill him all his life. It was a rite of passage when you grew up in the worst neighborhood in the country. He was just happy to be out; still couldn’t believe he had managed it with nothing more than a few scars and the occasional bout of insomnia.

Levi didn’t actually believe the claim until a few days after he moved in.

He had placed a small ceramic turtle - they were supposed to be good luck or something, but mainly Levi had it because it was kind of cute - on the mantle of the fireplace in the sitting room before bed, but by the next morning it was on the windowsill in the kitchen. He stared at the turtle for a good long while before putting it back on the mantle.

Later he noticed that was back on the windowsill.

Fine then. If that’s where the ghost wanted it, then so be it. He had to admit the turtle did look nice there.

After that it was like a game. He would sit something out and the ghost would rearrange it. Sometimes Levi would move it back and the ghost would leave it alone. Mostly the ghost put the object wherever it wanted and Levi would let it be.

Levi didn’t mind really. He actually quite agreed with most of the rearrangements, especially when the ghost moved one of the chairs from his living room to a spot by the back window - it got a lot of sun and he often found himself taking small naps in it in the afternoons.

The ghost managed to freak Levi out only once when he came home from work to find a steaming cup of tea waiting for him at the kitchen table. The potential for the ghost to set the house on fire by somehow lighting the gas stove aside, it was made exactly to his liking, which even the most talented of baristas could not do.

It was like living with a very considerate and observant roommate. Or a mom. Levi imagined this was what it would have been like if he had grown up with his mother.

The only things the ghost didn’t mess with was whatever he had outside - things like the broom he kept propped by the door or the potted plants he had on the railing. It seemed the ghost didn’t travel beyond the four walls of the house. Maybe it couldn’t. Maybe there was some unspoken ghost rule that you couldn’t leave the thing you haunted or else you would disappear.

Well, that just meant Levi had to do all the gardening himself.

He was doing just that one after when he heard a car pull into his driveway and he looked up, wondering who in the fuck that could be. A man with wild brown hair and bright green eyes climbed out of the car. That wasn’t someone he knew. Levi stood, the man spotting him immediately, eyes widening in surprise like he was a surprised to see Levi as Levi was to see him.

“Hi,” he said nervously.

“What do you want?” Levi asked.

“Oh, I,” he shifted his hands and that’s when Levi noticed the bouquet there. “I didn’t know anyone had bought the house. The bank’s had it up for sale for forever, didn’t think it would ever go.

“I didn’t want to get rid of it in the first place, but my sister said it was for the best. I know I shouldn’t keep coming back, I keep telling myself to stop, but I always--I’m Eren, by the way,” he said, stopping himself from rambling further.

“...Levi,” he said after a few moments.

“I don’t want to intrude or anything, but could you--” Eren held out the flowers towards Levi “--well, I guess I still am if I ask you to put these inside…”

He trailed off, head dipping. And then he sniffled.

Fuck he was crying.

Levi wasn’t sure what to do when people he _actually knew_ started crying, let alone a complete stranger. But here was this random guy, with these random flowers, randomly crying in his yard.

What was even _with_ the flowers? Who were they _for_?

And then it clicked.

There was a vase on the kitchen table that he wasn’t allowed to touch. He had tried putting in the cupboard but it always ended up back on the table. He had tried filling it once, too, but the flowers were moved to a different vase the next time he looked. Levi’s housemate insisted on keeping it empty. The only time it wasn’t empty was when he first moved in - there were some wilted flowers in it, gladiolas if he remembered correctly.

The same flower Eren had with him now.

“Do you,” Levi began, pausing when Eren jumped and hastily wiped at his face before looking up at Levi. “Do you want to come in?”

Eren sniffed and nodded and followed Levi inside. When they got to the kitchen Eren made a small ‘Oh’ of recognition when he saw the vase.

“You use it?” he asked as he lifted it and took it to the sink to fill it with water.

“Not really,” Levi answered, figuring ‘I’m not allowed to’ would sound a little weird. “Who are they for?”

“...My mom.”

“What was her name?” Levi asked, hoping he wasn’t pushing too much.

“Carla.”

There was a moment of silence as Eren put the flowers in the vase and sat them on the table.

“Thank you.” He paused. “And thank you for keeping the house nice, too.”

Levi shrugged, nodded. He lived here now, so of course he would, though he didn’t actually change much when he moved in aside from some furniture, and he’s sure that’s what Eren actually meant.

“Well, I should go. Thanks again.”

They exited the house, Levi staying on the porch as Eren went back to his car.

“Hey!” Levi shouted as he opened the door. “You can come back anytime, okay?”

Eren beamed at him, then got in and drove off.

Levi watched him go, lingering on the porch well after he was out of sight, wondering if that was the right thing to do. After a few minutes he sighed and went back inside.

He was greeted by a fresh, steaming cup of tea on the table next to the vase of flowers.

“Thanks...Carla,” he said, adding the name after a few moments. “But we have to talk about this ‘using the stove while I’m not in the house’ thing. It’s killing me.”


End file.
